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L.A. actresses Riki "Garfunkel" Lindhome and Kate "Oates" Micucci, whose credits include The Big Bang Theory and Scrubs, make up this comedy/folk team that celebrates the "and" half of two of pop's most famous duos. A sharp, largely good-natured send-up of the clichés endemic to first-time pregnancies, it gives birth to one particularly memorable eye-roll: "You're just giving birth now/You're not Mother Earth now ..." (From Music Songs, garfunkelandoates.com/music. Video: bit.ly/YfJre)

9. JAMES MORRISON

"Man in the Mirror"

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A stunning acoustic guitar-and-piano cover of what has become, in the wake of Michael Jackson's death, a kind of retroactive summation of life's guiding philosophy. Though this British singer-songwriter has often drawn comparisons to another Morrison – i.e. Van – here he sounds more like a cross between Usher and Ray LaMontagne. (bit.ly/Rtkv3)

8. MICHAEL JACKSON VS. PET SHOP BOYS

"Bad Heart"

One of the most widely admired of a recent flood of Jackson mash-ups – its creator says it was actually completed a month before his death – weaves together "Bad" and the Pet Shop Boys' 1988 British No. 1, "Heart." The result is a throbbing electro-pop concoction that ends with five seconds of almost unbearably prescient audio: the sound of a flatlining heart monitor. (bit.ly/LsoOl)

7. THE BOOK CLUB

"The Test"

In a nice bit of symmetry, this U.K. act now includes bassist Andy Nicholson, formerly with the Arctic Monkeys, who were inspired to form by Milburn, a.k.a. the former act of chief Book Club songwriter Joe Carnall. This muscular demo starts out sounding vaguely like The Jam's "Eton Rifles" before veering off into half-sung, half-spoken, veddy British art rock. (myspace.com/thebookclubofficial)

6. KINGS OF CONVENIENCE

"Mrs. Cold"

Five years after their last album, this blissful Norwegian duo eases its way back with a breezy, Brazilian-inflected tune whose mix of understated swagger and stiff formality recalls their best-known single, "I'd Rather Dance with You," and that song's soft spot for rationalization: "The music's too loud and the noise from the crowd/Increases the chance of misinterpretation/So let your hips do the talking." (From Declaration of Dependence, out Oct. 20, bit.ly/4lJNa)

5. ATLAS SOUND

"Walk a Thin Line"

Fans of the buzzing noise-pop made by Deerhunter may initially be taken aback by this Fleetwood Mac cover from Bradford Cox's other band. First, it's Fleetwood Mac, albeit from the loony Tusk era. Second, it's stripped down, which gives it the feel of a very good demo. Then again, given the breadth of Cox's previous work outside of Deerhunter, maybe this is actually the most logical move in the world. (bit.ly/suw0E)

4. ZOMBY

"Helter Skelter"

A shadowy, mysterious Brit, this one-name act specializes in a thrilling hybrid of U.K. dance genres, from jungle to dubstep. Though this roiling instrumental may have nothing to do with The Beatles song of the same name, it manages to convey the title's sentiment almost as memorably. (From One Foot Ahead of the Other, prettymuchamazing.com/mp3/zomby-helter-skelter)

3. KAREN O & THE KIDS

"All Is Love"

Part of the soundtrack to Where the Wild Things Are, the adaptation of Maurice Sendak's children's book helmed by Spike Jonze (who happens to be Karen O's former boyfriend), this sparkling singalong captures the wide-eyed wonder of childhood without sounding the least bit childish. (From Where the Wild Things Are, bit.ly/lNzVN)

2. MEMORY TAPES

"Bicycles"

Just out in a limited edition in Britain, the official debut full-length by Jersey boy Dayve Hawk certainly ranks among the year's most elaborate and thoughtfully constructed indie pop. Flitting from '80s synth to Passion Pit territory to a New Order-ish coda, this is, unlike much of this summer's output, destined to be very much in mind come Dec. 31. (From Seek Magic, out Sept. 29, myspace.com/memorytapes)

1. THE ANTLERS

"Bear"

Released in small quantities this spring and freshly spiffed up for re-release on the Frenchkiss label, this harrowing debut follows the arc of one man's relationship with a girl dying of cancer. Just as Justin Vernon retreated to a cabin to write Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago, The Antlers' Peter Silberman locked himself away for an intense year and a half to craft this at least partly autobiographical work of art. Unlike Bon Iver, however, this is no case of musical introversion. It's alternately loud and poignant, melodic and noisy, and has probably earned a spot near the top of any discerning listener's year-end list. (From Hospice, myspace.com/theantlers)

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